Domazan, France // For the next month the eyes of the sporting world will be on the Tour de France, yet few people know what a significant year this is for the bicycle.
Much to the chagrin of amateur historian Claude Reynaud, the 200th anniversary of the invention of the bicycle is likely to pass by with little pomp or fanfare as millions of pairs of eyes gaze at television screens or from the roadside to watch Chris Froome and his rivals battle for yellow jersey glory.
And yet, the 104th edition of the world's most prestigious cycle race starts in Dusseldorf on Saturday, in the country where 200 years ago Baron Karl Drais invented the bicycle.
Billions of people use bicycles, many on a daily basis, and yet few are aware of this important milestone.
"No-one is celebrating it because the information is unknown," complained Mr Reynaud, a viticulturist from the south east of France.
"While the Tour de France starts in Dusseldorf this year, when the Grand Boucle presented its route, no-one evoked the bicentenary - it's unknown outside of a small circle of initiates."
Mr Reynaud has fought a 50-year battle to defend the memory of the invention of the bicycle.
He even houses a museum in its honour at his chateau in Domazan, in the Occitanie region of France.
Mr Reynaud said it was on June 12, 1817 that "for the first time, a man took a two-wheeler and went on a road" in the Mannheim region of what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden, now part of southwest Germany.
Baron Drais's "velocipede" (nicknamed the 'dandy horse') had no pedals or a chain and required the rider to propel his "Laufmaschine" (running machine) by pushing off the ground with his feet.
But the Baron's genius was that "he discovered balance on two wheels", said Mr Reynaud.
"Like all ingenious inventions, it seems obvious, but someone had to think it. He invented the two-wheeler!"
However, the running machine was far from a resounding success and had its faults, notably proving difficult to control on bumpy surfaces.
When Drais organised a demonstration of the velocipede at the Jardin de Luxembourg park in Paris in 1818, "it was a disaster".
"People thought it was ridiculous and made cartoons about it," said Mr Reynaud, who has included some of those caricatures in his museum.
"At first, it didn't work, he couldn't sell it, people made fun of it."
But the idea had taken root and was soon being copied, particularly in France, although many draisines (as it was known there) were adorned with horses heads.
In 1866, Pierre Lallement attached pedals to the draisine and invented a pedal-powered velocipede.
The next stage in the development of the bicycle saw a huge front wheel attached with a small rear wheel, but it was a machine that was far from stable and resulted in some spectacular crashes.
It wasn't until 1885 that two similar-sized wheels were attached to the velocipede.
"After that it was just a case of technical improvements, but all the ideas already existed -- brake cables, pedals, chains," said Reynaud.
"The bicycle enjoyed an exponential success, especially from 1890 with the invention of the tyre."
*Agence France-Presse
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
if you go
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
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Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
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Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
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Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
